Game club

ABSTRACT

A game club for simulated golf type games, having two opposite heads on a common longitudinal medial shaft section, the two heads being crooked at substantially different acute angles relative to the longitudinal medial shaft section.

United States Patent Wexstaft 51 July 25, 1972 [54] GAME CLUB FOREIGN PATENTS 0R APPLICATIONS 72 lnvemor; cm w, M, Ludington' Mich 471,689 2/ I951 Canada ..273/67 A 164,169 2/1949 Austria ..273/85 0 Awanw AIIIIIM P St 12,460 5/1902 Great Britain ..273/85 G Louis, Mo.

22 F] d: Oct. 7, 1969 l l e Primary Examiner-Richard C. Pinkham [21] Appl. No.: 864,455 Assistant Examiner-Theatrice Brown Attorney-Reginald F. Pippin. Jr,

[52] U.S. Cl. ..273/l29, 273/67 R [S l Int. Cl. ..A63b 71/00 57 ABSTRACT [58] FleldofSeu-ch ..273/l29, I93, I94, 67, 8] B. A I b for imulated on t p p mo 0 s c II x y P- 273/81 77 85 87 posite heads on a common longitudinal medial shah section, 6 R l am the two heads being crooked at substantially different acute [5 l 9 angles relative to the longitudinal medial shaft section.

UNITED STATES PATENTS 735,995 8/ l 903 Mumford ..273/85 UX 4 Claim, 8 Driving Figures PATENT'EDmzsmn I 3.679.209 sum 1 or 2 Charles W. Wexstoff INVENTOR sw wa ATTORNEY mtmimmzsmn 3.679.209

SHEEI 2 0f 2 Charles W. Wexstoff 'S INVENTOR ATTORNEY GAME cum This invention relates to a game club, and particularly a manually manipulatable game club for playing golf or hockey type games in which a slidable or rollable playing piece, such as a disc, ring or ball, is struck by a face of the club.

It is a feature of the invention to provide a game club having two heads on opposite ends of a common longitudinal medial section, the two heads being disposed at different acute angles to the longitudinal medial section center line.

Still other objects, features and attendant advantages will become apparent to one skilled in the art from a reading of the following detailed description of the invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. I is a perspective view of a game club embodiment according to the invention.

FIG. 2 is a further perspective view of the club of FIG. 1, as viewed from a generally opposite direction.

FIGS. 3 and 4 are respectively side and front elevation views of the club ofFIG. 1.

FIG. 5 illustrates the use of the club of FIG. 1 in striking a playing piece with the smaller angled playing heads, designated the driver head.

FIG. 6 is a schematic illustration showing the playing angle obtained by employing the driver playing head.

FIGS. 7 and 8 are views similar to FIGS. 5 and 6 and illustrate the employment of the opposite larger angled playing head, designated as the putter head.

Referring now in detail to the figures of the drawing, a game club ll is provided which facilely enables a player to strike a playing piece P, such as a disc, ring or ball, selectively at either of two substantially different acute angles of shaft inclination relative to a playing surface S, such as a sheet of hardboard, wood or the like.

In the illustrative embodiment, the game club II is advantageously formed from a planar sheet of wood as by sawing, although it will be apparent that such may also be formed of other material and by other methods, as by molding plastic materials, stamping and/or bending of materials such as metal, 62C.

Club II is crooked at its opposite two ends, each end being crooked to a difi'erent acute angle relative to the general longitudinal center line of the medial section 41 to form two differently angled club heads 21 and 31. The club head 21 is formed at a lesser acute angle than the club head 31 relative to the general longitudinal center line of the medial section. The bottom faces 23 and 33 of the club heads 21 and 3] respectively are preferably either generally straight or slightly convex and extend in general alignment with the directional center line of the respective club head. The club head toe ends 25 and 35 are preferably generally smoothly planar rounded, although such may be fully rounded if desired. Similarly the heads 21 and 3] preferably connect with the medial longitudinal section through smooth planar concave convex curved connecting heel zones 27 and 37 respectively. The cross-sectional form of the club along its length is thus substantially rectangular in form, and preferably the rectangular edges are sanded to a smooth small round for player comfort.

The angles A and B are preferably substantially different from one another, suitable examples being approximately -25 and 65-70 respectively. It is desirable that the smaller angled head 21 be longer than the larger angled head 3|, as this enables most desirable manual grasping and playing action with the opposite head ends. Head 21 is adapted for low angled hand manipulation and lends itself to what may be termed driving of the playing piece P, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, and is thus termed the driving head whereas the head 3| is adapted for high angled hand manipulation and lends itself to what may be termed putting or chipping," as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, and is thus termed the putting head. It will be noted that in either case the club head end not in use for striking the playing piece P lends itself readily to act also as a handle for manual grasping in conjunction with longitudinal medial section 41. I

It will thus be apparent that the invention provldes a unique and advantageous game club which facilely provides for dual playing action, and that the game club lends itself to ease and simplicity of manufacture as by cutting from sheet wood stock, or by stamping or molding. By forming the major lengths of the opposite curvilinear cut faces of the club in generally complementary shape the club may be formed with a minimum of sawcuts and wastage of materials.

While the invention has been described with respect to a single preferred illustrative embodiment, it will be apparent those skilled in the art that various modifications and improvements may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Accordingly the invention is not to be limited by the illustrative embodiment, but only by the scope of the appended claims.

That which is claimed is:

l. A game club having a longitudinal medial section with two club striker heads connecting to opposite ends of the medial section,

said two club heads being disposed at substantially different acute angles relative to the longitudinal medial section. each of said club heads being also adapted to act as a handie for manual grasping for facile club manipulation,

said club having at each of said club heads two opposed smoothly curvilinear faces forming the heel and toe surfaces of each respective one of said striker heads,

and a sole surface connecting between said heel and toe surfaces for contact with a playing surface and being form ed as a smoothly curvilinear convex surface contiguous with and extending as a smooth curved connection between and extension of said heel and toe surfaces to enable striking ofa playing piece on a playing surface at varying angles of said medial section with respect to said playing surface over a substantial range of angles with a given one of said ends,

each of said two striker heads being comfortably usable through a respective one of two different ranges of angles as a function of the two substantially different acute angles of said club heads with respect to said longitudinal medial section,

said club having one said head extending at a first acute angle relative to said longitudinal medial section, the other said head extending at a second substantially lesser acute angle relative to said longitudinal medial section, the difference between said angles being at least approximately 40, said one head being longer than said other head.

2. A game club according to claim I,

said club having a pair of opposed flat striking faces generally normal to said smoothly curvilinear faces forming the heel, sole and toe surfaces of said heads.

3. A game club according to claim I,

said club being formed of wood, and said opposed smoothly curvilinear faces being generally complementary along a major portion of their length.

4. A game club according to claim I,

said club heads being of greater cross-sectional width between said opposed curvilinear faces than the corresponding cross-sectional width along said longitudinal medial section.

l IUI i '0' i 

1. A game club having a longitudinal medial section with two club striker heads connecting to opposite ends of the medial section, said two club heads being disposed at substantially different acute angles relative to the longitudinal medial section, each of said club heads being also adapted to act as a handle for manual grasping for facile club manipulation, said club having at each of said club heads two opposed smoothly curvilinear faces forming the heel and toe surfaces of each respective one of said striker heads, and a sole surface connecting between said heel and toe surfaces for contact with a playing surface and being formed as a smoothly curvilinear convex surface contiguous with and extending as a smooth curved connection between and extension of said heel and toe surfaces to enable striking of a playing piece on a playing surface at varying angles of said medial section with respect to said playing surface over a substantial range of angles with a given one of said ends, each of said two striker heads being comfortably usable through a respective one of two different ranges of angles as a function of the two substantially different acute angles of said club heads with respect to said longitudinal medial section, said club having one said head extending at a first acute angle relative to said longitudinal medial section, the other said head extending at a second substantially lesser acute angle relative to said longitudinal medial section, the difference between said angles being at least approximately 40*, said one head being longer than said other head.
 2. A game club according to claim 1, said club having a pair of opposed flat striking faces generally normal to said smoothly curvilinear faces forming the heel, sole and toe surfaces of said heads.
 3. A game club according to claim 1, said club being formed of wood, and said opposed smoothly curvilinear faces being generally complementary along a major portion of their length.
 4. A game club according to claim 1, said club heads being of greater cross-sectional width between said opposed curvilinear faces than the corresponding cross-sectional width along said longitudinal medial section. 